BURAIDAH — The people of Buraidah have been putting up with cement barriers installed along the main and service roads for the last two years due to stalled road projects. They have been seeing "temporary detour" signs installed at the entrances of major roads and are asking the authorities whether the word "temporary" could mean years. The municipality of Qassim, which has a population of more than 1 million, turned Buraidah into a city of cement blocks, residents said. They urged the authorities to complete delayed road projects quickly to end their suffering. Ibrahim Al-Salehi criticized the municipality for installing cement barriers along all main roads of the city, including King Abdullah Road, which is still under construction, and King Fahd Road. "These barriers have closed access to three squares along King Salman Road and its intersections with Abubaker Siddique and Othman Bin Affan roads," Al-Salehi told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. He said cement blocks can also be found on some service roads inside districts. "This situation has made the life in the city difficult," he added. "What is the point of installing signs expressing sorry for causing trouble to motorists if such signs remain there for years. If they had worked properly, there was no need for such an apology," said Al-Salehi. Sulaiman Al-Muhaimeed also expressed his indignation about the presence of cement blocks. "These blocks have been one of the reasons for increasing number of accidents on the ring road," he said while urging authorities to replace them with plastic blocks to reduce the impact from accidents. Ahmed Bin Sulaiman Al-Mushaiqeh said as a result of disrupted road projects the roundabouts at Abubaker Road and Othman Bin Affan Road have remained closed for at least two years. "If the officials at the municipality cannot do their jobs properly they must leave handing over the duty to capable people," he added. Sulaiman Al-Fandi said the closure of Abubaker and Othman squares have caused many difficulties for motorists. He urged higher authorities to intervene to end the suffering of Buraidah residents. Yousuf Al-Sudairy also highlighted the enormity of the issue. "We understand the need for detour during road construction but the delay in projects and installation of cement blocks have been causing trouble to motorists and residents of the city."
